


Jelly Slugs and Sugar Quills

by Pan_Princess



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Child Abuse, Near Death Experiences, Past Child Abuse, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27601576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pan_Princess/pseuds/Pan_Princess
Summary: Lucinda Malfoy was an unwanted child, so much so that her father let it be known every chance he had and attempted to drown her because he assumed she was a squib. Now old enough to attend Hogwarts, the poor girl must make her own way in the world or perish at the hands of her own parents.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Since the day she was born, all Lucinda had known was pain. She wasn’t supposed to be born, at least not really, Lucius and Narcissa had only planned for one child, however, they were surprised to find a baby girl following right behind her darling older brother, Draco. Despite being born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, the child lived, much to the dismay of her father. She was named Lucinda Narcissa Malfoy, often called Lucy by her brother, and her father never ignored a moment that he could inform her she was never wanted.

Narcissa didn’t care much for the girl either, however, she never hurt her, not physically anyway. She usually turned a blind eye when Lucius would hit or insult her, often not paying attention or feeling remorse the very few times Lucy called out for her or Draco, or anyone really. 

Yes, Lucius couldn’t stand his own daughter, his own flesh and blood, he only really wanted one heir and as far as he was concerned, he’d gotten one. He’d thought about dropping the girl off at an orphanage somewhere when she was younger, however, she bore a striking resemblance to his wife, one that The Daily Prophet surely wouldn’t miss. As a result, he was stuck with the child. Often starving, beating, and berating her for no reason other than the fact that he disliked her, but still gave her decent clothing. If they were going out in public, she had to be presentable after all. What was really the icing on the cake for him and Narcissa though, was the fact that the girl appeared to be a squib. To think, an unwanted child and a squib Malfoy to boot. The child was a disgrace and a nuisance at best, at worst she was the absolute worst thing to ever happen to their happy little family. 

While Draco showcased his magic quite early, the twins were about two when he shattered the glass his Aunt Bellatrix had been holding, not at all liking the way she was holding him, Lucinda didn’t show any signs of magic until they were about six. 

It was the day after their birthday, Draco had gotten anything his little heart had desired, cake, ice cream, jelly slugs- Lucinda’s favorite, and his favorite, sugar quills, while Lucinda had gotten nothing again for the sixth year in a row. Try as he might to be mean and ignore his little sister, he simply couldn’t ignore her. The two had a deep connection, one their parents had noticed and greatly disapproved of but hadn’t been able to stop as they didn’t dare harm the precious heir to the Malfoy lineage. The twins were playing with Draco’s new toys in his room, namely a small-sized quidditch set that his father had given him in hopes that he would pick up the sport one day when Lucy smacked a bludger and caused it to fly into and demolish a glass piece of artwork that Narcissa’s mother had given to her for her firstborn child. In shock, neither of them moved until the sound of shoes stomping along the marble floor alerted them to their father approaching. Draco snatched the paddle out of his sister’s hand and stared as their father whipped open the door, seething with rage.

“You horrible, ungrateful little bitch!”

“Father, no, it was me! It was just an accident!” Draco pleaded and was promptly knocked down by a slap to the face.

“Don’t you ever cover for her again, do you understand me? As for you,” Lucius gripped the girl’s tiny arm and she screamed and tried to pull out of his grasp. “I should’ve done this the day you were born.”

Lucy dug her heels into the ground, earning a punch to the stomach and now being dragged by her mostly black, shoulder-length hair. She cried and flailed, attempting to get away from her father, crying out for her mother and her brother, but to no avail. Lucius dragged her into her room and into the bathroom, tossing her on the floor and locking the door behind them, Draco beating on it from outside, sobbing and pleading with his father. With a quick spell and the faucets turned on, her bathtub filled rapidly and Lucy attempted to crawl between her father’s legs to escape. Lucius grabbed her leg and dragged her on the tile floor before lifting her up and grabbing her by her hair, submerging her entire body in the tub and holding her down, ignoring her kicking her legs, and flailing her arms. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she shrieked and in an instant, Lucius was across the room and the bathtub was scattered around the bathroom, broken porcelain, and water everywhere. Lucius stared, obviously startled by what’d happened and in shock that his daughter actually did possess magical abilities. 

“Well, good to know you’re not a total disappointment,” he said as he stood, unlocked the door, and made his way to his quarters so he could clean himself up. For months after, Lucy couldn’t sleep, she often waited until her parents and the house elves had fallen asleep before creeping into Draco’s room and sleeping with him, feeling at ease in a space near her brother who’d wanted to save her. 

Now, the two are eleven years old and heading off for their first year in Hogwarts. When getting onto the train, their parents doted on Draco, promising to write and send gifts constantly while completely ignoring his sister. Before they managed to board the train, Lucius stopped Lucy and gave her a hug, which caused her to stiffen and stare off as he whispered in her ear.

“You better not cause any trouble whatsoever. Are we clear?”

Letting her go, he simply gave her a pat on her shoulder and she scurried off as quickly as she could manage. The train ride over was uneventful, Lucy didn’t feel comfortable enough to speak to anyone so she simply sat next to her brother while he talked and joked with a couple of blokes, Crabbe and Goyle maybe? She couldn’t recall. All she could focus on was getting into Slytherin, the house that both sides of her family had been in since they first began to attend the school. 

While everyone else was in awe over the view of the castle from the boats on the lake, she still couldn’t keep herself focused on what was happening in reality. Draco nudged her shoulder with his own, in a way of asking if she was alright and she simply shrugged, she’d be able to talk to him about it later anyways, in the dormitory. By the time she’d stopped dissociating and began to take in her surroundings, she was among the other children waiting just outside the Great Hall as they waited to enter and be sorted into a house. 

She noticed a black-haired kid with glasses, some sort of mark sticking out from under his hair, must’ve been the Harry Potter his parents often spoke about in hushed tones. There was a redheaded boy next to him, his robes a bit older than her’s, definitely a Weasley, although she wasn’t sure which one. 

“Harry Potter, your reputation precedes you. Name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and that’s my sister Lucinda,” Draco spoke, taking a step up and standing in front of the two boys she’d been observing. At this, the red-haired boy scoffed and rolled his eyes, drawing Draco’s attention and mild irritation. “And don’t get me started on you. Red hair, hand me down clothes, must be a Weasley.”

“You’ll soon learn that in this world there are wizards of good stature, and those beneath them,” Draco cast a disgusted look at the redhead who looked down and sunk into himself. “We could help you make the right decisions.”

“I think I can decide for myself, thanks,” Harry replied, ignoring Draco’s outstretched hand. He clenched his jaw and dropped his hand, moving to stand next to his sister once more and making a comment about idiots not respecting bloodlines. A moment later, Professor McGonagall stepped back into the room and led the first-years into the Great Hall. Lucy couldn’t help but notice and feel as though most people were watching her, namely the other redheads sitting at the Gryffindor table. She scratched at her wrist, a small quirk she’d developed over the years, and attempted to ignore her feeling of unease.

“When I call your name, simply step up and sit down on the stool and I’ll place the Sorting Hat on your head,” McGonagall spoke, her voice echoing through the large room. She got through a few names and watched a girl named Hermione get placed into Gryffindor, along with the redhead- Ronald, and then she got to, “Draco Malfoy.”

The hat barely graced the tips of his hair before announcing, “Slytherin” causing the table to applaud and cheer as he strode over. 

“Lucinda Malfoy.”

Quickly swallowing and wringing her hands together as she walked up and sat on the stool, a deep voice that only she could hear began to speak to her.

“Well well well, another Malfoy I see. I hadn’t a doubt in my mind that your brother is more cunning than he is brave, but you on the other hand…” it trailed off, and Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. “Cunning, yes, but that’s been stunted by your upbringing, you didn’t get away with as much as your brother did. Intelligent, ambitious, patient, and the desire to be brave, oh yes very brave.”

_ Please, please just put me in Slytherin. I can’t be any bigger of a disappointment than I am now. He’ll kill me, he’ll surely kill me so I won’t be as big of a laughing stock as I am right now. _

“My apologies my dear, while you’re resourceful and ambitious, your desire to be brave greatly outweighs those qualities. When I do this and say it’s for your own good, you really must believe me because it has to be, GRYFFINDOR!” The hat announced and while the Gryffindor table cheered, she knew it wasn’t sincere. She shouldn’t have been put into that house, she shouldn’t have ever come to Hogwarts, she should’ve let her life end when it was supposed to, at the hands of her father five years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

For days, Lucinda wasn’t able to do anything besides keep her head down and focus on her studies. While other kids were busy making friends and becoming acclimated with their new surroundings and “families” as McGonagall had called their houses, all Lucy could do was remain quiet and keep to herself. She hadn’t spoken to her brother since he received a letter from their parents, congratulating him on getting into Slytherin and commenting that they’d see the two of them over winter vacation. Lucy knew she was absolutely fucked, there was no chance her parents were going to let her live, not after this stunt she’d pulled. Of course, she wasn’t the first in the bloodline to get into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin, her cousin Sirius had gotten into Gryffindor. Of course, he accepted half-bloods, muggleborns, stood against the family and the Dark Lord in the war, and got locked up in Azkaban after selling Lily and James Potter out and got them killed. Who is she kidding, she wouldn’t live past Christmas.

This Thursday afternoon found her as the first student to leave Potions, seeing as she always sat in the back, and she was rushing through the hallway, attempting to make her way back to the Gryffindor common room to finish her Charms homework. She hadn’t gotten far when she heard her name being called, she whipped around to see who was calling her only to find her twin brother.

“You haven’t spoken to me in days. We used to sleep in the same bed together and you just, haven’t spoken to me.”

“Draco, it’s- I-,” the small girl began, tearing up and beginning to sniffle. Draco glanced around before pulling his sister into an empty classroom nearby, holding her tightly in a hug as she sobbed into his chest.

“They’re going to kill me. You saw what father did when he thought I was a squib but- a Gryffindor?” Lucy wheezed.

“No, no, he won’t. I won’t let him.”

“Don’t be stupid, you’re a child. He’s far more skilled with magic, he’s bigger than you, and he’s one of the Dark Lord’s major supporters,” she took a shaky breath before finishing her thought. “Draco, he’s going to kill me.”

His grip tightened on her as he realized the weight of the situation, tearing up a bit himself and contemplating what he could do to help his sister. There wasn’t really anything the two of them could do, they were only eleven and their parents were extremely powerful and, quite frankly, terrifying. Their only option was to wait and hope that nothing horrible happened to Lucy and maybe she’d live to see her second year.

“Okay, come on now, enough of that,” Draco said, releasing her and wiping away her tears. “You can do this, alright? We’ve survived eleven years of living so far, school can’t be any more difficult now, can it?”

She sniffled but smiled at her older brother, her silver eyes glinting from the sunlight coming in from a window in the classroom. Although Lucy took more after her mother’s side, black hair, small build and dimples on her cheeks, the one thing she and Draco shared were the striking silver eyes they got from their father. Looking into a mirror did cause her some pain, looking into her own eyes was like looking into her father’s and brought back memories she attempted to repress, however, her eyes were also her brother’s. The only family member she had who would go out of their way to protect her and would always love her unconditionally. The two exited the classroom, Draco leading and Lucy following after him, and nearly bumped into Harry and his friends.

“Watch where you’re going, Potter, you could’ve knocked over my sister,” Draco sneered.

“We should be saying the same thing do you, Malfoy, you nearly hit Hermione,” Ron snapped, his eyes narrowed.

“Yeah, serves her right,” Draco began to respond, stopping short when he remembered Lucy was behind him. “Just stay out of our way, got it?”

Malfoy grabbed his sister’s wrist and pulled her towards the Great Hall, insisting that she’d eat with him, Crabbe, and Goyle that evening, promising that it’d make him feel better. It did just a bit, Crabbe and Goyle were complete morons, however, she and Draco were able to silently joke about it. Something felt like it was missing, she noticed, that bond she had with her brother was still there and likely always would be, however, she longed for a similar connection with someone else. Hopefully someone who knew what she was going through.

The next afternoon, Lucinda decided to spend her lunch period outside, sitting under a tree near the lake and finishing up an essay for Transfiguration that wasn’t due for another week or so. She’d just bitten into an apple and was reading over her work, making sure she didn’t need to edit or rewrite anything when the parchment was snatched from her hands and flung into the lake. Shocked, she looked up to find a few fifth year Slytherins, laughing at her expense and taunting her.

“What’s the matter? Gonna tell your father about this?” 

She tried to simply pick up her other things and walk away but they pushed her over and took her books out of her satchel, ripping out pages and tossing what was left into the lake along with her quills and parchment. Lucy tried to remain unphased, however, her eyes began to water as they continued to bully her, her lip quivering as they laughed in her face and it reminded her just a bit too much of home. 

“Petrificus totalus!” a voice came from behind her and one of her bullies fell to the ground, body stiff as a board. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep away!”

The other two kids picked up their friend and scurried away as quickly as they could. Instead of turning around and thanking her savior, all Lucinda could do was stare at the ground, sniffling and tears streaming down her face.

“Are you alright?” a feminine voice came from beside her and Lucinda looked up to find a bushy haired girl flanked by Ron and Harry. “My name’s Hermione Granger, I couldn’t stand by and watch while they were tormenting you.”

Lucinda wiped away a stray tear and nodded, taking a moment to stand up before speaking. 

“Yeah, thank you. I’m Lucinda, Lucinda M-” she paused, debating on whether or not to tell them her last name before remembering their altercation the previous day. “Lucinda Malfoy. I’m sorry about my brother yesterday, he’s always been quick to anger.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, you’re not him,” Hermione shook her head, looking out at the other girl’s strewn about parchment and books. “Harry, Ron, could you try to collect her things?”

The trio went to work, managing to get most of her books out of the water and collected a few of her pieces of parchment, unfortunately not being able to save all of the essays she had in her bag. Lucy worked to stop her tears, feeling as though she was taking longer than she should have to stop crying and she flinched when Harry headed over with a few soaked books.

“Sorry, they might be a bit gone.”

She sniffled and pulled out her wand, casting a quick drying spell followed by a heating charm to iron out the pages a bit. She took the books from Harry and carefully put them into her bag, doing the same to the other books she got from Ron and noticing that Hermione had already dried the pieces of parchment she collected.

“Thank you, um, you really didn’t have to do that.”

“We wanted to,” Harry responded. “Besides, you haven’t really spoken to anyone yet this year, we were going to approach you eventually.”

“Yeah, why don’t you hang out with us after class in the common room? We don’t really do much but I’m sure it’ll beat being alone,” Ron suggested. Hermione’s head snapped towards him, a disapproving look on her face and he began to stutter out noises, attempting to come up with something nicer to say. 

Lucy gave a slight laugh, “No, no, he’s right. Company would be appreciated.”

The four walked to their next class together, heading to the Great Hall for dinner, and ultimately ending up in the Gryffindor common room afterwards, talking about nothing at all and making jokes about their professors. For the first time in her life, Lucinda understood what it was like to have friends that weren’t related to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't posted anything in three months so enjoy this gigantic time skip! (I want to get to the later books, lol)

The way that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had welcomed Lucinda into their little group seemed almost surreal, although at times she could tell that Ron didn’t trust her entirely. She couldn’t blame him though, seeing as their families had opposed one another since even before the war. It was rather well known that her family was in favor of keeping muggleborns and half-bloods out of magical society, however, she couldn’t seem to understand why. Hermione was a far better witch than Lucinda, she studied constantly and although Lucy did the same, Hermione often surpassed her in exam scores and class participation. She knew Draco tended to listen to their parents a bit more than she did and he was very obviously annoyed at the fact that his little sister was friends with a muggleborn. He’d told her this a few times now, however, he’d stopped once she’d told him outright about what’d happened at the lake weeks prior. 

She snapped at him the morning before Harry’s first quidditch match when she should’ve been focused on Harry and helping Hermione enchant the banner she’d been working on. Despite their argument, the twins had managed to make up and rejoin their respective friend groups in time to head to the quidditch pitch. 

“Hey! Sorry, got held up talking to Draco,” Lucy apologized as she jogged to catch up to Ron and Hermione.

“You two seemed to be getting into it,” Ron commented and Lucy shrugged, not wanting to explain the argument she’d had with her brother.

Hermione quickly changed the subject to the upcoming quidditch game and Lucy was more than happy to discuss how she thought Harry was going to do. They’d watched him practice a few times and he was really incredible. He always seemed to zip by and catch the snitch without any major issues, something Lucy wasn’t ever able to do when she played with Draco. 

The match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was exhilarating, the two teams were going at it and both sides were up a decent amount of points. It seemed as though Harry had seen the snitch and was zooming towards it when he halted and his broom began shaking furiously. 

“Oh my- Hermione, Ron, look at Harry!” Lucy blurted as soon as she noticed Harry clinging onto the broom for dear life. 

Hermione gasped. “It’s Snape! He’s bewitching Harry’s broom!” After briefly noting that she was going to try and stop him, Hermione managed to get away and set fire to Professor Snape’s robes, effectively stopping whatever spell he was using to shake Harry off of his broom. Lucy and Ron watched excitedly as Harry managed to mount his broom midair and catch the snitch in under ten minutes. 

After meeting up with Harry and discussing how bizarre that event was, and who they believed caused it, the four kids made their way to Hagrid’s house to discuss it further with him. Hagrid, of course, didn’t believe that Snape would’ve done anything like that, especially in the presence of the Headmaster, and told them so. However, the children were convinced that Snape was attempting to throw Harry off of his broom as Hermione had managed to stop him after setting his robes on fire. To Lucinda’s surprise, the other three revealed that they’d found a three-headed dog earlier in the year, and on Halloween, Snape’s leg was bitten by said dog as he was trying to get to whatever the dog was guarding. Hagrid told them that the dog, Fluffy, was his and he loaned him to Dumbledore to guard something that he was unwilling to share. As he noticed it was getting dark, he ushered the children out of his home and told them to get back up to the castle. 

**

With Christmas break rapidly approaching, Lucy actively dreaded going home and being forced to tell her parents that she’d befriended Harry Potter- the boy who’d actively shunned their favorite child, Hermione Granger- a muggleborn, and Ron Weasley- the second youngest of the Weasleys and the wizarding family the Malfoys most despised. She could tell that Draco was fearing their return home as well, they often made eye contact in the classes they shared and the Great Hall. After their final potions class one afternoon, he managed to get away from his friends and try to speak with his younger sister.

“Lucinda, hold up!” he called after her.

“And just what do you want, Malfoy?” Ron sneered.

“Easy Weasel, it’s not like I wanted to approach you. I need a moment with my sister. So if you’d kindly leave us,” Draco said, waving his hand at them. With a small shake of her head, Lucy told her friends that she’d meet up with them in the common room and she and Draco began to take a walk around the castle.

“So, we’ll be home in a few days,” Lucy began.

“I don’t know why you didn’t just say you’d stay behind here. It’s far too dangerous for you at the manor,” Draco said, biting the inside of his cheek.

Lucy stopped and turned to look at her brother. “And it’s not dangerous for you? Draco, you know that neither of us will ever be perfect in our parents’ eyes.”

“I know, it’s just that I’m in Slytherin but you’re in Gryffindor and you’ve befriended the literal enemies of our family. I know we both get decent marks but- Lucy, you do realize that we’re set up to be treated differently now, don’t you?”

“We’ve been set up that way since the day we were born, Draco,” Lucy sighed. “Can you at least promise me that we’ll try to stick together? We’ve only got each other, our friends can’t really help.”

In response, Draco pulled her into a hug, and afterward, the two retreated to their respective common rooms. 

**

On the train back to Platform 9 ¾, Lucy sat and talked with Hermione about their homework assignments and upcoming lessons. Of course, Hermione had almost read through the entirety of all of their textbooks and knew a few more spells than Lucy. However, Lucy was close to catching up, and she believed the break would give her more than enough time to potentially surpass Hermione. She was almost certain this Christmas would be worse than any of her previous years considering she’d given her parents an actual reason to resent her and she wasn’t looking forward to it at all. 

When the train stopped, Lucy and Hermione took longer than everyone else to drag their trunks out to put off Lucy having to meet up with her family. Once they were off the train, they departed from each other with a hug and wandered towards their families. Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa were waiting for her and her parents gave her a small pat on the head as a greeting. The four apparated home, Lucius calling a small house elf named Dobby to take the children’s luggage, and each parent taking a child with them. No sooner had they arrived outside of the manor and gotten through the door did Lucius knock Lucy to the ground and whack the back of her knees with his cane.

“An absolute mockery of our family is what you are. First being sorted into Gryffindor and now you have the nerve to befriend a muggleborn? Not to mention that disgusting Potter and that son of the Weasleys. My god, it’s like I haven’t nearly taught you enough!” Lucius said the final word with a blow to the back of Lucy’s head as she didn’t dare move from her position on the ground. “I’ll deal with you later.”

As Lucius stalked off towards his and Narcissa’s wing, likely to mull over his daughter’s horrendous behavior, Lucy laid on the floor, breathing heavily and tears flowing freely down her face.

“Oh would you get up!” her mother snapped and Lucy’s hands shook as she rose off the floor. “And would you just look at yourself? Eating everything the castle has to offer, are you? Get to your room. You won’t be eating tonight.”

Lucinda trudged through the manor on her way to the wing she shared with Draco, attempting to calm herself down and not think about the horrors that awaited her once her father was done thinking. On the third day of her sitting alone, without food or anyone to talk to as Draco had been staying away from her for some reason, Dobby, her father’s personal elf, entered the room with a small sandwich and a glass of water.

“Miss Lucinda, food sent by Master Lucius,” he squeaked, handing over the plate and glass. Almost immediately, she’d downed the glass of water and was wolfing down the sandwich, simply happy to be able to eat. She’d gotten used to eating every day at Hogwarts, she forgot how difficult it was at home. 

“Master also wanted Dobby to tell Miss Lucinda happy Christmas and she hopes her room is to her liking because she’s still not allowed outside.” Dobby shook his head ever so slightly before muttering, “My apologies miss” and apparating away.

**

The next school year passed by about the same, except this time Professor Quirrel wasn’t present as he had died after allowing he-who-must-not-be-named to utilize his body. After the Christmas of their first year, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lucy had grown drastically closer and each of them was rarely seen alone. Unfortunately, Draco had almost completely changed after that Christmas and was now truly the little wicked boy that everyone thought he was. He was completely unphased by the Chamber of Secrets being opened and taunted Lucy when Hermione was petrified. In short, Lucy and Draco now despised each other meaning that Lucy truly had nothing left to lift her spirits at the manor.

Dobby had been released by Harry at the end of their second year which infuriated Lucius and he was convinced that Lucy had something to do with it. Of course, he wasn’t entirely wrong. Something was definitely amiss after their first year in school, and Lucy heard her father mentioning something along the lines of “getting rid of Harry Potter,” which she couldn’t stand. She’d asked Dobby to listen in when her father had someone over and barely a day had passed when Dobby took it upon himself to attempt to save Harry’s life. 

As for Draco, he was truly the son that his parents always wanted, a fact that had become more present since he began to rub it in his sister’s face. He’d made it onto the Slytherin quidditch team as a seeker in their second year and continuously got excellent marks. Lucinda’s marks were also exemplary as she didn’t have much to do while being locked in her room for summer and Christmas break. 

Now as their third year began, the group of four sat in a compartment with their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin, who was fast asleep while the teenagers eagerly chatted away. They were having an excellent time catching up with Lucy, who refused to go into detail about the summer she’d endured, when Draco slid the door to their compartment open.

“Exactly what could my sister be saying that’s so interesting? It can’t be that impressive to be the family disappointment.”

“Get lost, Malfoy,” Harry said, visibly angry.

“Yeah? Or else what?” Draco taunted before catching sight of the sleeping man in the compartment. “Who’s that?”

“New teacher,” Lucy replied. “You were saying, brother dearest?”

Draco rolled his eyes and left with Crabbe and Goyle in tow, clearly annoyed about the teacher’s presence.

“What happened to my doting brother?” Lucy sighed, a frown prominent on her face.

“Aw, come on now,” Ron began. “I’ve got tons of brothers, you can borrow one.”

This got a small laugh out of Lucinda and Ron smiled at his ability to take her mind off of her brother. Their happiness was short-lived as the train began to slow down and the lights cut out. 

“What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure, you should stay back from the door, I think I see someone,” Harry spoke softly to Lucy.

“Harry, I’ve already read through the textbooks for this year, what second-year magic could you possibly do to save me?” Lucy snapped. She went silent after seeing a dark, hooded figure extend an arm and open their compartment. Her vision blurred and her body went numb, she couldn’t feel anything. The only thing she could think about was being unhappy, it was as if every happy thought had been sucked away from her. The creature drew closer, focusing on Harry and Lucinda and the small girl could hear herself sobbing while her father tormented her.

_ “Worthless. You absolute disgrace to the family name. If it wouldn’t attract public attention I would’ve killed you years ago!” _

She was shaking and crying when her vision unblurred and she was able to understand that the creature had gone, Ginny was in a similar state as herself, and Harry was passed out on the ground. 

“Hey there, are you feeling alright?” a soft, warm voice came from behind her. She turned to see their new DA professor, wide awake and breaking apart a large Honeydukes chocolate bar. At her lack of response, he handed her a piece of chocolate and continued speaking. “That was a dementor, they guard Azkaban and they’ve been set to monitor the perimeter of the school in case Sirius Black tries to get in. They’re not supposed to be on the train at all, and the fact that they’ve attacked students is far worse. Give this to Harry when he wakes, will you?” He gave everyone in their car a piece of chocolate and handed the largest piece to Ron to give to Harry. Lupin had only been gone for a moment when Harry reanimated with a start and the others filled him in on what happened.

“So… Did you hear that woman screaming as well?” Harry asked, breaking the silence as everyone ate their chocolate.

“There wasn’t anyone screaming, Harry,” Hermione said gently. Harry gave a soft “oh” and continued to eat his chocolate, leaving Lucinda to wonder about what he’d heard.


End file.
